Interlining baggage - have rules changed?
Nov 19, 2011 | 11:56 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2004
Location: LAX
Programs: UA 1K, Bonvoy Plat
Posts: 363
Interlining baggage - have rules changed?
I have an itinerary next week where I'm on one ticket going from Rochester, NY to EWR. I have another ticket EWR-Rome on Lufthansa (mileage ticket in first class using Continental Onepass miles).
I just called Continental and asked if I could check my bags all the way to Rome from Rochester. He said that there was no possible way since they are separate tickets and separate airlines. He said he'd never heard of interlining.
This didn't sound right, I know I've interlined baggage before, so I'm asking here. Have the rules changed? Should I just depend on the agents in Rochester? I do have time (I hope) to collect bags and then recheck, but I thought this was a no brainer.
Any info on this is welcome!
I just called Continental and asked if I could check my bags all the way to Rome from Rochester. He said that there was no possible way since they are separate tickets and separate airlines. He said he'd never heard of interlining.
This didn't sound right, I know I've interlined baggage before, so I'm asking here. Have the rules changed? Should I just depend on the agents in Rochester? I do have time (I hope) to collect bags and then recheck, but I thought this was a no brainer.
Any info on this is welcome!
Nov 19, 2011 | 12:04 pm
#2
Join Date: May 2005
Location: various cities in the USofA: NYC, BWI, IAH, ORD, CVG, NYC
Programs: Former UA 1K, National Exec. Elite
Posts: 5,487
I assume the ROC-EWR flight is a CO flight. I'm pretty sure that CO and LH have an interline agreement.
I believe the answer should be "Yes." I've done something similar on CO mileage ticket PNI-GUM-NRT plus a paid NRT-IAH-ORD ticket. The PNI agent was able to tag the bag all the way to ORD (though it was necessary to recheck the bag at IAH).
I believe the answer should be "Yes." I've done something similar on CO mileage ticket PNI-GUM-NRT plus a paid NRT-IAH-ORD ticket. The PNI agent was able to tag the bag all the way to ORD (though it was necessary to recheck the bag at IAH).
Nov 19, 2011 | 12:05 pm
#3
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Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: HH Diamond, Marriott, IHG, Hyatt something
Posts: 34,509
I interline all the time. Should be no problem, at all. Especially when dealing with the same alliance.
Nov 19, 2011 | 1:28 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2004
Location: LAX
Programs: UA 1K, Bonvoy Plat
Posts: 363
Yes, the flight from Rochester to EWR is also Continental. I sure hope it works! Is there anything I should tell the checkin agent to make this happen?
Nov 19, 2011 | 1:47 pm
#5
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: PSM
Posts: 69,232
The official policy is that they do not have to. The reality is that they nearly always do.
Have with you a printout of the onward travel, including the PNR and ticket number if at all possible. And arrive early so that the agent in ROC is not rushed to complete the transaction. Simply explaining that you have two separate trips but both are *A and both issued by CO and that you'd like the back checked through has always worked for me.
Have with you a printout of the onward travel, including the PNR and ticket number if at all possible. And arrive early so that the agent in ROC is not rushed to complete the transaction. Simply explaining that you have two separate trips but both are *A and both issued by CO and that you'd like the back checked through has always worked for me.
Nov 21, 2011 | 9:53 am
#6
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: SYD
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Posts: 5,441
I hope CO will do the same for our pre-Christmas flights. We're flying EWR-LAX in business on an award ticket, arriving LAX 6.33pm, connecting (but on separate tickets) to a paid ticket on NZ5 to AKL, departing at 10pm. It's not the tightest of connections, but still it's enough to make me slightly anxious, and being able to check bags all the way through would definitely relieve some low-level anxiety about making the connection, should we get delayed out of EWR (as I seem to be about 50% of the time...)
Nov 21, 2011 | 10:33 am
#7
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The official policy is that they do not have to. The reality is that they nearly always do.
Have with you a printout of the onward travel, including the PNR and ticket number if at all possible. And arrive early so that the agent in ROC is not rushed to complete the transaction. Simply explaining that you have two separate trips but both are *A and both issued by CO and that you'd like the back checked through has always worked for me.
Have with you a printout of the onward travel, including the PNR and ticket number if at all possible. And arrive early so that the agent in ROC is not rushed to complete the transaction. Simply explaining that you have two separate trips but both are *A and both issued by CO and that you'd like the back checked through has always worked for me.
The OP's situation, however begs for a query as to why one would not just book ROC-EWR-Rome on one award ticket. One is just asking for trouble on commuter flights into EWR in wintertime.
Nov 21, 2011 | 3:33 pm
#8
Used to be 'thiti'
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Denver, CO
Programs: UA-PP 1MM, Hyatt-Globalist, Bonvoy-LT Titanium, Hertz-Pres Cir
Posts: 190
You should not have any problem. Like the previous suggestion, get to the airport a little early with printed reservations. I recently traveled from Richmond VA to Bangkok via Newark and Hong Kong. I had 3 seperate tickets; two on Continental and one on Thai. I was pleasantly surprised that an agent at RIC (quite small domestic airport) was able to interline my bags all the way through without any troubles.